Swansea selectmen hear new marijuana proposal, vote against rezoning proposal

SWANSEA – Count a majority of the Board of Selectmen as the latest not to recommend the proposed rezoning article to grow marijuana on farmland. The proposal is the subject of Monday night’s special Town Meeting.

Chairman Derek Heim and Vice Chairman Steven Kitchin said it is not in the town’s interests to support the open-ended citizens’ petition article.

But Selectman Christopher Carreiro said permitting safeguards are in place and voters should decide.

The Planning Board earlier this month voted 3-1 not to recommend a growing and cultivation operation at the 751 Hortonville Road farm, while the bylaw review committee and Advisory & Finance Committee also rejected it.

NEW MARIJUANA PROPOSAL

Before the rezoning article vote at Tuesday night’s selectmen’s meeting, another player in the marijuana dispensary field for Swansea emerged.

Two Rhode Island men, Robert Rodio of North Kingstown and attorney Terry Fracassa of Narragansett, said they want to locate Plantopia Care Center Inc. in Swansea.

Rodio is the CEO of the non-profit company and a year ago filed a dispensary application for medical marijuana with state health officials to begin obtaining a license.

He proposes using 5.2 acres of the Sherry Construction Co. property at 215 Sears Road for the indoor operation.

About 90 percent of the land is in the required manufacturing zone where a marijuana dispensary can be established by town bylaw. To build and operate would also require a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Like other companies that have issued proposals during the past year or two, they were seeking either a letter of support or of “non-opposition” to meet requirements for a state license, Fracassa said.

At this juncture, it would be for a medical marijuana dispensary, Fracassa said, while not shutting the door on recreational marijuana that the town recently accepted for the appropriate zone and permitting.

Since this proposal was on the agenda for discussion and not board action, Rodio and Fracassa will return at the Aug. 28 selectmen’s meeting when the needed local letter can be acted upon.

Fracassa said Plantopia is in the third and final part of the application process and has been vetted by the state Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality for the medical marijuana program.

Fracassa said he’s been involved with the marijuana industry for six years as a lawyer and business agent. He said it increasingly is becoming a manufacturing business.

The applicants said they have a contract drafted to lease 5,000 square feet of the Sherry Construction building on Sears Road off Route 6 through 2035 with an option to purchase the property for “a little over $1 million.”

Town Administrator John McAuliffe said Rodio and Fracassa meet the zoning standards and that he has seen the proposed lease.

Carreiro said the board has heard other marijuana proposals and questioned having a “host agreement” in place before issuing its position.

Town Attorney Arthur Frank cited state law in saying those terms must be in place before a letter of non-opposition can be issued. He also noted the town may permit two retail establishments.

Fracassa spoke generally about the company paying to the town the top end of host agreement revenue regulations set by the state.

Carreiro recommended they finalize those terms with McAuliffe, who is coordinating these proposals with selectmen.

The poor condition of Sears Road came up, along this manufacturing sector where the Camara family has engaged proposals to selectmen for a marijuana dispensary at 1 Sears Road. Herman Camara said after the meeting he expects the company he has been working with, Green Line Delivery, to make a presentation to selectmen at the Aug. 28 meeting.

CITIZENS' PETITION

On the broader issue of changing town zoning to allow medical and recreational marijuana cultivation in agricultural areas, Kitchin criticized the proposed article as “one size fits all.”

He said Swansea officials had been rushed before evaluating issues ranging from safety to setbacks, including more input from the police chief.

“I know folks want to make this about marijuana,” he said, “but for me it is not.”

Carreiro said the article presented by Bill Chadwick, whose family has farmed the property for several generations, could have been written better with an included mix of agricultural products.

But Carreiro said he “supports the process” of a citizens’ petition for community articles that has voters deciding the outcome. He noted a zoning change has a high threshold with two-thirds support needed.

Heim reiterated some of his stance he made in a letter to the editor this week.

“I strongly believe that the introduction of large scale commercial marijuana growing facilities into our residential areas is a step in the wrong direction,” he wrote.

Email Michael Holtzman at mholtzman@heraldnews.com or call him at 508-676-2573.